Lemon Chill gets more distance to work with in Wednesday allowance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lemon Chill was beaten just a length for all the money when a fast-closing fourth going 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland in her last start. That’s a short-stretch race to the first wire.

“I was wishing it would’ve been to the second wire,” said Donnie K. Von Hemel, trainer of Lemon Chill.

For sure. Lemon Chill galloped out so strongly past her rivals in that Oct. 12 race that she was far ahead of them by the second wire. The closing kick the 3-year-old filly has developed portends good things with more distance, and Von Hemel is optimistic about her chances Wednesday at Churchill Downs when she goes 1 1/8 miles in the featured ninth of 10 races.

“The farther the better,” he said.

Lemon Chill, with Joe Rocco Jr. back to ride, will face five other fillies in the lone allowance of the day, a first-level race with a $97,000 purse. She will have Saracosa and Final Cut as her chief threats in a lineup that also includes Mo Gayle, Storm Rising, and Flower House.

Lemon Chill, a sharp two-back winner of a maiden race at the Churchill September meet, “took a few races to figure things out,” Von Hemel said.

“In her first race at Oaklawn Park, it looked like she had some talent, but she didn’t run all that well a few times after that,” he said. “But when we stretched her back out to a mile at Ellis Park this summer, it was like the light bulb went off in her head and we’ve seen nothing but good since then. Hopefully this mile and an eighth will be what she wants and we can keep moving forward with her.”

Saracosa, with leading jockey Corey Lanerie to ride, is trained by Brendan Walsh, who is back home following a disappointing week at Santa Anita. Walsh was scheduled to run two horses in the Breeders’ Cup, Maxfield and Vitalogy, but both were scratched. Otherwise, it’s been another terrific year for Walsh, as his horses have earned more than $3.1 million.

First post Wednesday is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:06. Churchill will conduct a five-day race week through Sunday.

◗ Lanerie starts the new week with a 12-7 lead over Ricardo Santana Jr. atop the jockey standings, while Steve Asmussen also holds a familiar spot atop the trainer standings with eight wins. The 26-day meet runs through Dec. 1.